Ever Ever After
by lonerism
Summary: Caroline came across a young girl on the street and took her in. At first, she thought the girl was delusional when she claimed to be a princess from the fairy tale land. But when the girl's father, King Niklaus from the Mikaelson Kingdom, showed up, Caroline began to change her views on life and love. (AU/AH)
1. Chapter 1

I.

* * *

"_Seriously?"_

Caroline groaned, glancing down at her now muddied clothes and shoes. She yelled profanities after the car, calling the driver all kinds of names very loudly that if there was anyone else around, they would definitely had turned to give her dirty looks. Still grumbling, she rounded her car and walked towards her building, her eyes still fixed on her now wet Chanel top. It was one of her favorite and one of the most expensive pieces of clothing she had—she obviously didn't appreciate some dirty substance ruining it. She dusted it off once more, sighing in defeat and decided to just let it go for now.

Just as she was looking up, something caught her eyes. A little girl was standing outside the toy shop that was located right beside her building. She was pounding on the door, demanding someone to open it. The shop was definitely closed, though. Caroline had heard that the owner's daughter was getting married, and since it was a family-owned business, it was closed for the weekend. The girl kept pounding on the door, apparently not noticing the _'closed'_ sign that was hung right before her nose.

"Please open door!" she heard the girl yells in the pouring rain. Caroline could see her shivering from the cold. She raised an eyebrow as she took in the girl's appearance. She was wearing a dress that could only belong to the 1800s, and it was soaked in the rainfall.

"I am Princess Edlyn of the Mikaelson Kingdom, and I am commanding you to open the door right now!" the girl yelled again as Caroline approached her. Finally realizing that what she was doing was of no use, the girl then slipped onto the ground—and if she didn't look so miserable Caroline would have said she was doing it so gracefully—she had her hands covering her face, and Caroline could see her shoulders starting to shake and she could hear low sobs coming from the girl.

Caroline kneeled in front of the girl, putting a hand on the girl's knee. The latter jumped at the touch, and Caroline could see fear flashing in her eyes for a moment, but they were gone the second she saw Caroline's smile; she could feel warmth starting to envelope her already.

"Hi," Caroline said.

The girl looked at Caroline with a confused look, biting her bottom lip as she recalled the time when her father told her not to talk to any stranger.

"Hello," she replied in a small voice.

Caroline helped the girl up, but still held her hands even after she had stood up. Her hands were freezing, and Caroline's hands were warm enough. She hoped she could take the cold away.

"What are you doing out here?" Caroline asked, feeling pity for the girl. "Where are your parents?"

"I am lost," the girl answered, a tear rolled down her cheek. "My father's evil bride sent me here. I don't know where I am, but I saw this castle," she gestured to the toy shop, "and I thought the King of this kingdom can help me get back to my father."

"Castle?" Caroline frowned, "Toy Castle isn't a real castle. It's a toy shop. And we don't have a king in this here," she told the girl, and if it wasn't a polite sweet girl standing in front of her she would have laughed in their face for saying such delusional nonsense.

"If you don't have a king, then who rules this place?" the girl asked, now she was the confused one. Caroline could clearly hear her accent, and she concluded that the girl was not from around here—she must be a tourist who got separated from her parents during sight-seeing.

"The president," Caroline said, "Well, I can't really say the president _'rule'_ the country—he's uh, our leader. The people 'rule' this country and he leads us," she finished, trying to explain it in a way an eight year old could understand (she assumed the girl was about eight or nine, based on her physical appearances and the way she was carrying herself)

There were slightly visible lines formed on the girl's forehead. She was terribly confused now. She could feel her head started to spin. Everything in this foreign place was too weird.

"If it's not the castle, then can you please take me to the real castle? I promise you, my father, King Niklaus, will pay your for your kindness, once I am reunited with him."

"Wait, _what_?" Caroline shook her head, baffled by what the girl had just said. A thunder then clashed behind them, and the two flinched at the jarring sound. She sighed, bending down to the girl, half yelling because the rain was pouring harder now and her voice was barely audible, not able compete with the sound of thousands of teardrops hitting the ground.

"You know what? My apartment is right over there," she pointed to the building next to the toy shop, and the girl threw a glance over her shoulder to take a look. "Let's just go inside, and we'll get you warm, ok? I'm a police officer. You are safe, I'm not a bad person. I will take you to your parents once we've got you dry. Come on," she took the girl's hand, leading the young beauty inside her building.

.

/

.

Caroline stared at the stack of clothes for a moment. She suddenly could feel a tingling pain in her chest, and she had to take a deep breath because her breath was hitched in her throat. Closing her eyes, she then shook her head, trying to clear her head. She quickly took a pair of clothes and shut the cabinet door. She turned around to where the strange girl was now seated, shivering in the little couch by the bed. Caroline placed the clean clothes beside the girl on the couch.

"You can wear these," she nodded towards the pile of clothes. The girl took one of the clothes, examining it for a second. It was a pink cotton shirt, and the girl frowned at this because back in her kingdom only men would ever wear something like this—but of course, it wasn't pink. And then she unfolded the weird-looking pants. She traced the fabric with her fingers, feeling incredibly foreign with the texture. Again, she thought that had something like this existed in her kingdom, only men would wear it. She then thought about how these clothes would no doubt fit her perfectly. They couldn't have belonged to the lady in front of her.

The girl looked up, her blue eyes meeting Caroline's. "Are these your daughter's clothes?"

Caroline swallowed the lump in her throat, and the girl could see the change in her face. "Yes," she croaked.

"Where is she, then? What's her name? Will she mind if I borrow her clothes?" the girl ask. But as soon as the words came out of her mouth, she instantly regretted it. She could see the way Caroline froze at the question—or well, questions—but the blonde woman quickly recovered.

"She's—" Caroline stuttered, "she passed away a few years ago. Her name was Lucy, and I'm sure she wouldn't mind you borrow her clothes."

"I'm sorry," the little girl apologized, feeling like she had crossed the line. Caroline smiled at her, shaking her head.

"It's ok," she assured the girl, patting her hand gently. "She was six at the time, but we were always told that she was tall for a girl her age. I hope the clothes will suit you."

"I'm sure these will suit me just fine," the girl replied, "Although, I must say that I feel quite intimidated by your daughter, since I am eight years old and she was my size. My uncle always say that I'm a midget—I just never knew that I am _that _small," she joked, and both she and Caroline laughed lightly.

"I'm Caroline," Caroline said, offering her hand. The girl stared at it for a good five seconds, as if she was afraid. But she then shook her head, shrugging off whatever it was that bothered her, and shook Caroline's hand.

Caroline had heard the girl screaming her name outside as she was pounding on the Toy Castle door, but the then girl smiled back at her, and still introduced herself. "I'm Edlyn."

"Alright, Edlyn," Caroline said, rising up to her feet. "I assume you would want to take a warm bath first?"

"Yes, please," Edlyn agreed. The thought of getting into warm water got her excited.

"The bathroom is right down the hall. But I'm going to set the water first, and then I'll call you when I'm done, ok?"

Edlyn nodded, and sat back down on the couch as Caroline headed for the bathroom. She looked around the room; it had pink wallpaper, and the headboard of the bed was the shape of a tiara. Her eyes then fell to the framed pictures on the bedside table. She walked towards it, and took one picture. There was Miss Caroline, and she was smiling very brightly. Her white teeth were showing, and her eyes held no sorrow, unlike what Edlyn had just seen a mere minutes ago. Beside Miss Caroline was a beautiful little girl, with raven hair and warm blue eyes—these blue orbs, reminded Edlyn of Caroline. Edlyn smiled at this. This must be Miss Caroline's daughter. She looked very pretty. And finally, beside Lucy—Miss Caroline's daughter—there was a man. He was handsome, and his raven hair was similar to Lucy's, so was his smile. Edlyn assumed he was Miss Caroline's husband and Lucy's father. She wondered where he was. The apartment was dark and the door was locked when Edlyn and Miss Caroline arrived here, and so far she hadn't seen anyone else in the place.

Perhaps Miss Caroline's husband had passed away, too? Edlyn sighed, suddenly feeling very bad for her Miss Caroline.

.

/

.

That night, Caroline found Edlyn sound asleep in Lucy's room after they had dinner. Caroline had originally wanted to take the girl to the station right away, as she knew there might be distressed parents outside, looking for their daughter. But as she walked closer to the sleeping girl and heard her light snoring, she decided to just take the girl to the station tomorrow. She didn't have the heart to wake the girl up from her sleep. So she took out her phone and dialed Katherine, her friend a fellow detective in the NYPD, instead. Katherine would still be at the station since she had a night shift that day.

"_Pierce."_

"Hey, Kat. It's Care," Caroline said to the phone.

"_What's up, Care?"_

"Can you do me a favor and look up the name 'Edlyn Mikaelson' in the missing person section, see if anyone had reported her missing?"

"_Whoa, what's wrong?"_

"Well, I found a girl standing outside Toy Castle in the rain."

"_Toy Castle, as in the toy store beside your building?"_

"Yeah. Tell me when you got a hit, ok? And if no one had reported her missing, please file in one."

"_Got it."_

"Thanks, Kat."

"_Anytime, Care."_

With that Caroline ended the call, and then slipped the phone back into her pocket. She leaned against the door frame, crossing her arms as she stared at the little girl sleeping in her late daughter's bed. Her blonde curls were covering almost half of her little face, and she looked so serene.

There was something odd about the young girl, but Caroline still couldn't quite put her finger to it. Maybe it was the fact that she kept referring to herself as _Princess_ Edlyn and her father as _King_ Niklaus. She had thought it was only Edlyn's imaginations—that the girl had seen too many Disney movies and read too much fairy tales. But the way Edlyn kept insisting that she was in fact telling her the truth, and with such determination in her voice, Caroline started to doubt her theory. Still, everything Edlyn was saying just simply didn't make sense.

Like how she mentioned that she came from a kingdom called _Mikaelson_, and when Caroline had asked if it's located in Europe, the girl only stared at her, stupefied. She instead asked Caroline what Europe is. Caroline had told her that Europe is the name of a continent—thinking perhaps the kingdom was in fact located in Europe, only the girl was too ignorant to know in what continent she resided. A voice in her head kept telling Caroline that she _knew _there was no Mikaelson Kingdom in Europe. She had gone to a summer school in Cambridge when she was in high school, and she had never heard of such kingdom. But yet, she still wanted to hear Edlyn's story. She just needed to know at least _something_ about the girl, so it would help them to get this girl back to her parents.

'_Oh,' Edlyn had said, 'Well, the Mikaelson Kingdom is not located in Europe. It's located in the Fairytale land!' _

Caroline had buried her face in her hands in desperation, finally coming to the conclusion that the poor girl was probably shaken after a recent trauma, and it let her to believe in the things that she was saying.

Edlyn started to stir in her sleep, and Caroline could see the change in her face. Her breathing was erratic. She kept saying the words _'no'_ and _'help' _as if she was begging someone to save her, and as Caroline reached the bed, she could see the cold sweat forming on the girl's forehead. Caroline sat down on the bed, running a hand to stroke Edlyn's cheek gently, in hope to calm the girl down.

"Edlyn," she called the child. Edlyn's eyes snapped open, and Caroline could see the fear in them.

"Edlyn," Caroline called again, now cupping the girl's face, "Sssh, it's ok," she said as the girl sat up in the bed. She then embraced Edlyn, enveloping her in a hug as she rubbed circles on Edlyn's back. "It's just a dream. It's ok," she kept whispering, trying to drive away the child's fear. "It's ok."

.

/

.

_It was a little dark outside, and Edlyn couldn't see the sun anywhere as it was covered by the thick grey clouds. She quickened her pace, fearing that the rain would fall soon. She had been out in the garden to pick some flowers as she usually did. She loved to place some fresh roses and carnations in her room. But she was disappointed when she reached the garden this morning. Her flowers were dying. Gone were the colors, gone was the beauty. All Edlyn saw were the drying dead plants. She had wondered what had caused the death of her flowers, and she decided that her father's bride had done this. Sure, it was fall season, but in their land, flowers still grew beautifully until winter came. Only in winter, Edlyn couldn't have fresh flowers to lighten up her chambers._

_It wasn't a secret that her father's bride—Princess Tatia of the Petrova Kingdom—was a witch. Now Edlyn had known good witches, such as Lady Sheila and Lord Luka from the Mikaelson Kingdom, but Princess Tatia was nothing like the both of them. She had overheard the guards talking about how Princess Tatia had killed one of her guards mercilessly just because he couldn't get her the stone she needed to perform a ritual. And it wasn't the only stories Edlyn had heard. There were more bad things Princess Tatia had done, but no one dared to punish her because she was King Petrova's only daughter—thus, making her his precious possession. And no other kingdom dared to mess with the Petrova Kingdom, because they were a very rich kingdom with a very strong army._

_Edlyn's father—King Niklaus, was marrying Princess Tatia because their kingdom was in trouble. All this time they had been depending on the gold mine for their living, but the miners had reported that they were running out of gold. King Petrova promised to help their kingdom once Edlyn's father is married to his daughter. King Niklaus hated to depend on others; it made him feel powerless and it infuriated him. But he had to do it for his people._

_Edlyn pulled her skirt up, allowing herself to run as she could feel a raindrop on her shoulder. But she stumbled on a small stone, sending her to fall flat on her face. She hissed in pain._

"_Are you alright, child?" _

_She looked up to see the source of the voice, and Edlyn saw an old lady with dirty cloak covering her head standing right in front of her. Edlyn wondered how she had gotten here._

_The old lady offered a hand to Edlyn, and she took it hesitantly._

"_Thank you," Edlyn said after the old lady helped her up. The lady just smiled, and Edlyn couldn't help but noticed that something was off with her smile. She still held Edlyn's hand, and suddenly she was gripping it very hard, and then she pushed Edlyn into a well behind her._

_Edlyn clawed at the wall of the well to keep herself from falling, but the old lady kicked her hand. She let out a shriek as she felt herself falling down. She shut her eyes, tears started to fall from her eyes. She screamed and screamed for someone to help her, but after a while she gave up. She was tired. She was still falling, but yet she was still not hitting anything. She kept wondering how deep the well was. She was tired of the darkness and the anticipation. She was going to die anyway when she hit the bottom, better it be quick then. She opened her eyes, thinking that her end was near, but instead she saw lights, and she noticed she wasn't in the well anymore. Her brows knotted in confusion, and before Edlyn even had the time to think, her back hit something with a thud. She looked around, and realized she was now lying on an asphalt road. There were strange buildings around her; buildings she had never seen before and she knew she wasn't in her kingdom anymore. The rain was pouring and she felt so alone, she was cold…she was scared._

"_Edlyn," she heard someone call her name. She turned around to see the person, but she couldn't see anyone._

"_Edlyn."_

_._

_/_

_._

And then she saw a blonde head and a pair kind blue eyes.

_It was a dream_, Edlyn realized soon after her eyes snapped open. She stared at the ceiling for quite a moment, still adjusting after being abruptly waken up from her sleep. She blinked a few times, and droplets of tears fell to her cheek. The next thing she knew she was in Miss Caroline's arms.

"Ssh, it's ok," Miss Caroline had said, rubbing circles down her back. "It's just a dream. It's ok," she assured the girl in her embrace. Edlyn relaxed in the woman's touch, but there was one thing that went on in her head. If only Miss Caroline knew.

'_But it wasn't just a dream,' _she said silently in her head. '_It wasn't.'_

_.  
_

_/  
_

_.  
_

**Tbc…**

* * *

**A/N**: **Thoughts? Love it? Hate it? Good? Bad? Let me know what you think, even one word has a significant impact on someone ;)**

**I have created a Tumblr dedicated to The Vampire Diaries, so if you're on Tumblr too, please hit me up! Though I personally like to call myself a 'professional reblogger', but I would really appreciate it if you guys follow me there. I will follow you too. I'm desperate for some companies back in the Tumblr world. It feels so lonely there :(**

**www . klaus - s - mistress . tumblr . com**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I'm so **_**so **_**sorry it took too long! Exams have been keeping me busy, and I had to spend most of my time studying. I still have one for math on Monday, but here I am posting a fanfiction. I am such a model student **

**Anyways, thank you for everyone who had read, reviewed, and favorited the first chapter! You are all awesome! I hope you'll like this one too.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

II.

* * *

After hours of riding and listening to his younger brother's inappropriate jokes, King Niklaus and his entourage finally reached their kingdom. The townspeople bowed down as they passed through the crowded town, and the King felt a little bad for not really acknowledging them and instead just spurred his horse to run faster. But they had been out for a hunting trip for two days, and he was dying to see his daughter. It was no secret that the Princess had her father wrapped around her fingers right after her birth, and the late Queen's death drove the father and daughter to be even more attached than they already were. It was almost twilight when they arrived at the palace. The sky was turning to an orange shade, and the lights in the garden were already lit.

King Niklaus hopped off his horse by the gate, leaving the animal to be tended by one of his guards. He strode to make his way to the front door of his palace, knowing full well his daughter would be waiting for him by the grand doors. But when he reached his destination, he couldn't see his little girl anywhere. Instead, there were only some guards and his daughter's governess, and there was also his new fiancé whom was taking Edlyn's usual spot.

"Where is my Princess?" he asked the group, and just then he noticed the nervous look upon his daughter's governess' face.

The middle-aged woman kept her gaze down, not having the gut to look the King in the eye. She was nervously squeezing her hands together, her forehead wet with sweat—which was odd, because Mrs. Gold was a very tidy and proud woman. The King was certain she would never leave her room before she was sure there was not even a single strand of hair sticking out.

"Mrs. Gold, where is my daughter?" the King repeated.

"She's probably too absorbed in her own world. You know how she _loves_ playing in the back garden," Tatia cut off, waving her hand dismissively and quickly linking her arm with King Niklaus'. "She probably lost track of time and forgot that you're coming home today."

The King's eyebrows knitted in confusion. "This is so unlike her," he commented.

"You never know with young children," Tatia brushed off, leading him inside the palace. Behind them, Mrs. Gold and the guards shared a look.

"Your Majesty," Mrs. Gold finally croaked, and the King stopped in his tracks, turning around to face her.

"Yes, Mrs. Gold?"

The governess squeezed her hands together, gulping the lump in her throat. She took a deep breath, bracing herself to speak.

"We're afraid that the Princess has gone missing."

.

/

.

"How is he?" Princess Rebekah whispered in her brother's ear, taking a stand next to him in the grand ballroom.

Prince Kol shrugged, glancing to his brother who was pacing back and forth like a mad man by his throne, fuming in anger. "Well, you can see for yourself."

Soon after he received the news of his daughter's disappearance, the King had sent half of the guards to all parts of the kingdom to search for her. He also had already summoned Lady Sheila and Lord Luka's help, sending a knight to pick them up. He thought they could use a little bit of help from magic to help find his daughter. He knew there was a locator spell that could be very useful for them. He had asked Tatia to perform it, but she declined, saying she was never taught of such spell by her mother. King Niklaus held back the urge to snap at her. She was useless to him, but he bit back the words that were about to come out of his mouth.

Tatia kept trying to get the King to calm down, but she didn't succeed. He kept shrugging her off whenever she tried to place a hand on him, kept barking at her not to touch him. The Petrova Princess pouted and stomped her feet every time he told her to leave him alone, and had the situation not been so serious Rebekah would have laughed at the sight. She had always hated the _Princess Witch_, and it seemed like the feeling was mutual.

The doors opened, revealing the Lady and her nephew behind them.

"Your Majesty," Lady Sheila bowed at the king, and behind her, her nephew did the same.

The King nodded at the two, swatting Tatia's roaming hand away.

"Lady Sheila, Lord Luka."

"What can we do for you, Your Majesty?" Lord Luka asked politely.

King Niklaus took a deep breath, regaining his posture as he prepared to speak. "I came home from a quick hunting trip just a few hours ago. I have missed my daughter dearly, and I was hoping she would be waiting for me when I got back," he began, and there was a smile playing on his lips, but everything about his smile felt so wrong that it made Rebekah grimaced. "But then I was told that she had gone missing," he spat, glaring at each person in the room, except for Lady Sheila and Lord Luka.

He was angry at everyone in the palace. All of them were supposed to look after his daughter. How could they let anyone take her? Yes, he was sure someone had kidnapped his daughter, because he knew his daughter very well and he was more than sure that she would never run away from her home.

Lady Sheila had looked up right after the King finished his last sentence, a worried look plastered on her face. Everybody was fond of the Princess. She was charming just like her father, but bright and warm like her mother. Lady Sheila had given the Princess a special necklace on the day of her birth. It would give health to whoever wears it, as it protects them from any disease.

"Do you want us to perform a locator spell?" she asked, and the King nodded at this.

"Let's hurry then, we wouldn't want anything bad to happen to the princess," Lord Luka agreed. He signaled a guard to come to him, and told the guard to go collect a map. Two other guards also went to fetch a table for the ritual. The three came back almost immediately. Lord Luka quickly placed the map on the table.

"Your Majesty," Lady Sheila looked up to the King, "We will need your blood."

The King quickly rolled up his sleeve, revealing his toned arm and held it out to Lady Sheila. The woman took it almost immediately, not even in the slightest bit looking like she felt awkward when she was touching the King. Her family had served the royal family for generations, and since she had been friends with the late Queen Esther, she had watched all the Mikaelson children grew up; from Finn, Elijah, Niklaus, Kol, and the youngest of the five, Rebekah.

One of the guards pulled out his sword and handed it to Lady Sheila, whom then carefully used it to slit the King's palm. A pool of red started forming on the map as droplets of the King's blood fell on it. Once Lady Sheila felt they had enough blood, she closed her eyes and started chanting a spell to cure King Niklaus' hand. The wound in his palm started closing, and soon he was fully healed.

Lord Luka stepped closer to the table, then. He closed his eyes, and just like what his aunt was doing earlier, he started chanting a spell in a language that no one in the room understood with the exception of the Lady and Lord, and probably Princess Tatia, since she too was a witch. The blood on the map started flaring up. It then flowed uncontrollably around the map. Lord Luka stopped chanting, and opened his eyes. Both he and Lady Sheila inspected the result, and their brows furrowed at what they saw. King Niklaus too took a look at the map. He understood how the locator spell works, because it wasn't the first time he saw the Bennett witches performing it. But this time confusion was written all over his face. The blood had flowed all the way outside of the map. It was now stagnating on the table.

"Why is the blood on the outside of the map?" he asked the Lady and Lord. "Does that mean she's no longer in this world?" he panicked at the possibility. More lines were forming on his forehead and he could feel his chest tightened at the thought of his daughter being dead.

"She is no longer in this world," Lady Sheila solemnly nodded. King Niklaus was about to throw something in grief, but then she continued, "But she's in the other dimension."

This caught the King's attention, and his head snapped towards the Lady's direction. "The other dimension? How could she end up there?"

"Magic," Lord Luka answered; his eyes were wide in realization. "That's the only way. You have to create a portal to go to the other dimension, and only witches and warlocks can do that."

"Go and collect every witch and warlock in this kingdom and take them for questioning. One of them must have done this to my daughter," King Niklaus ordered his guards, who quickly scattered out of the room. He then turned to Lady Sheila and Lord Luka. "That includes the two of you too, I'm afraid."

"It's alright by us, Your Majesty. We want to find the Princess as much as you do," the Lady replied in an understanding tone.

"And you too, Tatia," he turned to his fiancé, giving her a look that simply said that she was not to argue with him. But Princess Tatia was used to people taking orders for her, and always giving her everything she wanted. Despite the silent stern warning from her fiancé, she still opened her mouth.

"But I am to be your Queen. I refuse to be treated the same way with the people who are below me," she whined.

"I said _every _witch and warlock, Tatia. No exceptions," the King snapped.

"I am your _fiancé_!" she yelled, emphasizing the last word, as if that would make any difference in King Niklaus' eyes. "You should know that I would never do that to my soon-to-be daughter!"

"No. To be honest, I don't know," King Niklaus said in a tone that sent a shiver down Tatia's spine—and not in a good way. He sounded murderous—like a predator threatening his prey. "I don't _know_ you. And if I choose to believe the things I have heard about you, I would say that you are capable of doing _anything_."

Tatia gulped as he held her gaze for a few seconds. The look in his eyes made her feel so small—it made her feel powerless—it made her feel scared. She didn't even realize she had been holding her breath. The tension was thick and everyone in the room could feel it. They too held their breath as the event unfolded right before their eyes. Finally King Niklaus broke the eye contact, and turned to face the honorable witch and warlock in front of him instead. At last Tatia and the rest of the people in the room could start to breathe normally again.

"So how do we get my daughter back?"

"The portal can only be opened during full moon. Someone needs to go to the other dimension right now before it's over," Lady Sheila explained.

"I'll go," the King quickly said. "Now let's create this portal."

"No, Nik," Kol interrupted, "You can't go. Who will look after this kingdom while you're gone?"

"So what are you suggesting, Kol? That I should just sit around while my daughter is lost somewhere in a place that is so foreign to her? That I should just sit around while she's probably feeling so _scared_ to _death_?"

This got the younger brother stupefied, not knowing how to reply. He stepped back and looked down. But Niklaus knew Kol had a point.

He sighed, walking towards Kol and placing his hands on his brother's shoulders. "You are responsible of the throne while I'm gone. I trust you. Don't fail me; don't fail our people," he told him, looking at him in the eye.

Kol's jaws tightened, and he slowly nodded. People had always labeled him the least responsible amongst his siblings. _The loose cannon_, they said; the one who had always been too busy drinking and bedding different woman each night. His brothers were all Kings—Finn had traveled south soon after he turned seventeen and built a kingdom of his own, while Elijah was married to the Queen of a kingdom in the east, which made him the Prince—and his little sister Rebekah was betrothed to one of the Princes from the Salvatore kingdom. But Kol—he was nothing. He only inherited the title Prince because of his parents. He knew his siblings loved him dearly, but he was also aware that others looked down on him. No one had ever said that they _trust _him, let alone trusting him to be responsible of the throne, even if it's just temporary. Even his father never trusted him. He thought he had seen him breathing a sigh of relief right before he died when he realized that Niklaus would be the one on the throne, and not Kol.

"Alright," King Niklaus clasped his hands together, spinning on his heels to turn around and face Lady Sheila and Lord Luka again. "Now let's send me to my daughter."

"We will have to create the portal outside, because we need to channel the power from the nature _and _the full moon," Lord Luka accounted.

The King, Lord Luka, and Lady Sheila then made their way out. Before the doors were closed behind them, Lady Sheila threw a glance across her shoulder, stealing a last look at the people inside the room.

She spotted Princess Tatia still standing by the King's throne, fiddling with her hands. To her surprise, the Princess looked up. She squinted her eyes, holding their gazes. There was something swimming in her eyes—something that threw Lady Sheila off.

She was challenging her.

.

/

.

_**Tbc…**_

* * *

**A/N: I know, I know. **_**Still **_**no Klaroline. But it will get better next week! I can promise you there will be lots and lots Klaroline in the upcoming chapters. So as always…don't forget to leave your feedback. ;)**

**And if you haven't already, follow my Tumblr: ( www . klaus - s - mistress . com ) I'm currently trying to get a hang on Photoshop, and hopefully, **_**soon**_** I will be able to create some art for this story. **


	3. Chapter 3

III.

* * *

The next morning, Caroline was awoken by the ringing of her phone. She grunted, rolling around in her bed to reach the bedside table. Prying her messy hair off her face, she took the phone and pressed it to her ear.

"Yes, Katherine?" she half mumbled. Her voice was still hoarse after sleeping.

"Good morning, sunshine," came Katherine's cheery reply from the other end of receiver. "Did you sleep well?"

"I did. The rain lulled me to sleep last night, and I was having such a good quality sleep until you decided to interrupt."

"Ouch. I forgot you can be quite grumpy in the morning. Did I just wake the sleeping lion?"

Caroline looked up, and her eyes caught the sight of her own reflection on the big mirror hung on the wall across from her bed. She snorted as she saw her hair. Katherine _literally_ just woke the sleeping lion up.

"So what's up?" Caroline asked, her brain finally working back to normal after all that sleep.

"I got Don to run your girl's name in the system last night," Katherine replied. "I think you'd want to go down here."

.

/

.

They were in the police station—Caroline's precinct—and Katherine was trying to dig more information from Edlyn because honestly, Don said he had found none when he punched in the young girl's name into the database. She had asked Don to do it again, but still, nothing came up. She could swear to God that they had looked very thoroughly, but still, there was nothing on Edlyn Mikaelson. No parent had reported her missing. Caroline had always thought that Edlyn was not from the States, because she had this classy accent that resembled one of the British. Katherine had even got Adam, the lab tech, to hack into Interpol's database, and still she had found nothing. It was as if Edlyn Mikaelson had never even existed. Neither did her father, Niklaus Mikaelson (yes, Katherine had looked him up too).

"Edlyn," Caroline sighed in frustration, burying her face in her hands. They had been at this for almost an hour now. She then rubbed her forehead, hoping it would stop the throbbing she thought she was starting to feel in her head. "We need you to be serious, okay? Just this once, tell us the truth, so we can find your parents."

"But I _am_ telling the truth!" the girl snapped, abruptly rising up from her seat and smacked the table in front of her.

Katherine, who was sitting by the other end of the table jumped, obviously not seeing this kind of outburst coming from Edlyn. She was a detective, and she was very good at repetition—she could know a lot of things about someone by just looking at them once. And when Caroline brought the charming young girl to the station this morning, Edlyn had even curtsied at her, greeting her in a formal yet friendly and welcoming tone. The girl carried herself with such grace, such confidence; something Katherine rarely saw in other girls of her age. It was as if the girl was royalty of something similar to that. Little did Katherine know Edlyn was indeed a royalty.

Realizing that she had acted inappropriate, Edlyn quickly took a deep breath and shut her eyes, counting to five in her head. Her aunt had told her to do so every time she lost her temper.

"Forgive me for my rudeness," she said, looking down in shame. "I didn't mean to be disrespectful. I don't know what has gotten into me."

Katherine's face softened, and she reached out to touch the girl's hand. She offered Edlyn a smile, putting a hand on top of the young girl's. "It's fine. We understand."

"You have to believe me. I _am_ telling the truth. Everything I have said—they are _not_ lies," Edlyn insisted, looking up to lock her gaze with Caroline's. There was something in those big blue irises that made Caroline want to believe her. But when she thought about it again, she was reminded of how illogical the tale Edlyn had told them sounded. Caroline was conflicted.

"And I am _not_ losing my mind. I still have my sanity. That, I can assure you," the young girl added, addressing it to Katherine. Edlyn might be young, but she was no fool. She could read the skeptical look in the woman's face.

.

/

.

Back in the fairytale land, The King, his siblings, and the Bennett witch and warlock were already gathered in the back garden.

"Be careful, alright?" Rebekah said to her brother for what seemed to be the millionth time. The King rolled his eyes at her, although he knew that she really did mean well. She enveloped him in a hug once more, and King Niklaus couldn't help but comment that he would only be gone for a month and she shouldn't fret.

He only gave his younger brother, Kol, a pat in the shoulder, once again telling him to look over their kingdom while he was gone. "I promise I will do my best," Kol replied.

Tatia came over and tried to give her 'fiancé' a hug, to which The King only replied by awkwardly tapping her back. She then even went as far as trying to kiss him, and he had to push her off him and reasoned that he was defending her honor. Now The King had been with many women before his marriage to his late wife, thus making physical contact with women as something he was not taboo of. But he held no interest in Tatia, and he felt suffocated because she just kept clinging on him.

Earlier, Luka had gone to inspect the whole palace, searching for the portal that had been created to transport the young Princess Edlyn to the other dimension, the other universe—in case the creator still left the portal open. And he found it. It was the old well by the little garden where the late queen used to grow her flowers. Whoever created the portal had forgotten to close it. It saved everyone's time, as Lady Sheila and Lord Luka didn't have to create another portal to transport the King. But Sheila did have to perform a ritual so that King Niklaus would land exactly where his daughter was at.

The elder witch was chanting in Latin as she clutched something that belonged to Princess Edlyn in between her hands. It was the young royalty's favorite hair pin—the one that used to belong to her departed mother; made of gold, with beautiful flower ornaments on the side. The Princess wore it almost everyday, but that day seemed to be an exception to her.

A bright light burst from the well, and then it was gone almost as soon as it came. Lady Sheila opened her eyes then, and turned to the King.

"Is it done?" he asked

"Yes," the Lady nodded. "Once you are there, and have found your daughter, you need to find my grand daughter."

"Your grand daughter?" the King asked, remembering the absent Bennett witch. He had met the youngest Bennett once or twice during the festivities his family had thrown all those years ago, but he never caught her name. He remembered her face, but not the name. Or maybe he had just forgotten it. Rumor had said that this young Bennett had created a portal to the other universe herself, and escaped there because she wanted to find her mother, whom also had left for the other universe but never came back.

But how hard would it be to find someone whose name you don't even know in a whole new universe where everything is foreign to you? It was near _impossible_.

Lady Sheila seemed to sense the King's distress, because she then shoved a small piece of paper to the King's hand.

"I have written her name in there. It will help you to find her. She will be the one to create the portal for you to come back home, once the full moon is back," she explained.

King Niklaus nodded and thanked his trusted witch. He then turned to walk towards the old well, not even taking a look back as he climbed onto the walls. With an intake of his breath, he jumped into the well, and soon the people that were present there witnessed as their King was swallowed whole by the earth, disappearing into the other dimension; to a whole different universe.

.

/

.

The sound of music could be heard throughout the entire apartment, and Caroline was humming to the tune as she prepared dinner in the kitchen. She paused for a moment, taking a step back so she could sneak a look to the dining room through the door that connected the two rooms.

Edlyn was staring eagerly at the turntable, every once in a while she would spin her head, mirroring the vinyl's movement. She looked like a Californian tourist in the Arctic; her eyes were filled with wonders, and she wore this bright smile that was so infectious that Caroline couldn't help but smile too at the young girl's apparent excitement over a mere vintage device.

On her first night in Caroline's apartment, Edlyn didn't get the chance to venture into the other rooms besides Lucy's bedroom, the bathroom, and the living room. She had also seen the LCD TV and stereo with the same twinkle in her eyes, but then again the TV and stereo weren't turned on that night. Edlyn didn't know what they could do. She had thought it was some decoration for the room.

Once she entered the dining room that evening, her eyes had landed on the old turntable that was put on a small table in the corner of the room. She had turned to Caroline and asked her what the odd thing was. Edlyn had said that they didn't have this kind of thing in the fairytale land, and Caroline had just brushed it off because not everyone owns a turntable. So maybe that's just the case.

Picking up one of her late husband's vinyls from a rack that stood by the small table, she had put it on and soon the room was filled with the sound of The Smith's _There Is A Light That Never Goes Out_.

Having no luck digging more information on Edlyn's parents or family, both Katherine and Caroline finally gave up questioning the girl. Edlyn had always looked at them with such certainty that her story was true. It seemed pointless to keep pushing her to give them another story that they would consider more acceptable and unfairytale-ish. _'But then again, the mental ones always believe they're not insane,' _Katherine's partner, fellow Detective Don Flack had commented before munching on his donut as he passed by Katherine's desk. Caroline had hit his hand for saying it in front of Edlyn. She really hoped the girl hadn't heard him saying that.

So Caroline brought Edlyn back home with her, as she was actually taking a few days off from work. When you are a part of the NYPD, day offs could be such a rare thing to have. The moment Caroline found out she could take some, she quickly snatched all she could get. She was hoping she could use these precious days to stay in bed, making up for all the sleep she had lost for the past few months. Even with Edlyn around, it seemed like Caroline's plan would still work. Edlyn was a well-mannered child. Caroline wouldn't have to worry about her turning the apartment into a shipwreck, like what happened when she was baby sitting Elena and Matt's five year old twins.

But Caroline surely wasn't in for a surprise that was about to hit her in 3, 2…

_THUD ! _

Both Caroline and Edlyn jumped at the loud thud coming from the living room. Caroline sighed. "All I'm asking for is three peaceful days so I could revive myself. _Three_ days—that is all!" she muttered under her breath.

Edlyn was a well-mannered and generally quiet child, yes. But this? Caroline was obviously not prepared for _this_. It was yet another thing that didn't go with her plan.

Her instincts as a police officer quickly kicked in, and she put a finger on her lips, motioning Edlyn to stay silent. She carefully tiptoed to the living room, grabbing a gun on her way there. Edlyn was following close behind her, and Caroline moved so she was shielding the young girl. The place suddenly felt dead, and the lazy evening suddenly turned into such a tension-filled night. The only thing that Caroline could hear was Morrissey singing in the background.

"_And if a double Decker bus crashes into us… to die by your side is such a heavenly way to die."_

Caroline had her pointed fingers rested on the trigger. Just in case. Once they entered the living room, they spotted shards of glass shattered on the floor. As they walked further in, Caroline found out that they came from the coffee table that was placed by the couch. Someone, or something, must have hit it hard enough to shatter it into pieces like this.

"_And if a ten ton truck kills the both of us… to die by your side, well, the pleasure the priv—"_

Taking a deep breath, Caroline cautiously walked closer to where the table was supposed to be. There, she found a man, lying on top of her now ruined table. She aimed her gun at the man, ready to fire, and was about to ask him a question, but something stopped her abruptly.

"…Father?"

* * *

**A/N: Hello. We meet again, dear readers. First of all... Could you please save your stakes? Please? Pretty please? So *ahem* are we clear now? Okay. I know I deserve it but...I am so very sorry that it took me so long to post a new chapter. I was doing what I do best...procrastinate. And then all of the sudden life got in the way. It's all my fault, I know. Again, I am so very sorry.  
**

**And uh, still no Klaroline ~_yet~_... Um. Now please don't aim the stakes at me again. Well about that...I'm sure the next chapter will make it up to you. I promise I'll do my best to defeat my natural instincts (to procrastinate) this time.  
**

**Oh, oh! Can I just say something about last night's episode? Killing off Kol? That's just terrible. I always take Kol as the fun brother. I mean, for one, he was listening to rock music with earplugs on. My heart broke when he was set on fire. And the look in Klaus's eyes and the fact that he was tearing up...just...heartbreaking.  
**

**RIP Kol Mikaelson. You will always live in my fan fictions! xo Shafi  
**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hello! I've noticed there were some fatal errors on the chapter (such as Caroline saying her husband died a few **_**hours **_**ago instead of **_**years**_**). It was really late in my time zone, and I had such a long day, so I was very tired and sleepy I almost fell asleep in front of the computer. But I have fixed the errors, and I am terribly sorry for the inconvenience. Happy reading! **

* * *

IV.

* * *

Caroline blinked. Once. And then she blinked again.

The next thing she knew Edlyn was rushing to the stranger lying on a bed of shredded glass in front of them, and that the girl was wrapping her arm around the stranger's waist.

"Father!" she cried, "Oh father, are you alright?"

The stranger, who looked like he was half unconscious when they approached him, now seemed to have regained his senses. He was still lying down because his head was still hurt after the fall he just took, but he could gather enough power to return Edlyn's hug.

"My Princess," he breathed against Edlyn's blonde curls, "I have found you."

Edlyn had tears of joy forming in her eyes, but she giggled at his words. She was just so happy that he was there. When the old lady pushed her into the well, she thought she would never see her father again.

"Yes, father. You have found me!" the girl exclaimed with her high pitched voice in between her giggles

Caroline could only watch the father and daughter's reunion, with her jaw on the floor. _What the hell is going on?!_

"Wait," she finally choked. At the sound of her voice, the two other individuals remembered her presence, after a full minute of being in their own bubble—completely oblivious that someone else was also in the room. "Father?" she screeched. "_Father?!"_

Both Edlyn and her father stared at her outburst. Edlyn's father then untangled himself from his daughter's arms and rose up, ignoring the throbbing pain on his back. He slowly walked over to Caroline, unsure of what to do since the latter still had her revolver ready in her hands.

"Where were my manners?" he said to the woman in front of him, reaching out to bring her hands to his lips, but Caroline jumped back and instead aimed her gun at him.

"Stay where you are!" she yelled, her eyes widening in panic

He held his hands up, telling her that he meant her no harm. But she still wouldn't budge.

"Miss Caroline," came Edlyn's voice from behind the man. "He is not a dangerous man. He's my father," she tried to explain.

Caroline's eyes flickered to where Edlyn stood, then back to the mysterious-man-who-just-popped-up-out-of-nowhere in front of her. "What?" she whispered. She could feel a headache coming.

"I am King Niklaus of the Mikaelson Kingdom," said the man. "I have come to find my daughter, the Princess Edlyn."

Caroline stared at him for a good five seconds, and then she shook her head violently. "But how did you get into my house? How could—" she stopped mid sentence, her eyes widened as if she just realized something. She then ran towards the door, frantically checking the door knob.

"Did you break in here? What did you do to my door?" she spat at him

"I did nothing."

She knew that he was telling the truth, because she could see that her door was just fine. There was no sign of breaking and entering. But one couldn't just magically appear in a living room, can they? She then rushed towards the windows, checking on each of them just as frantically as she did with the door. If he didn't come through the door, then he must have come through the window? There should be one that's broken, or—

_Nothing._

Her windows were all in good shape.

"But _how_?"

She could feel her legs giving in, and suddenly she felt like she needed to sit down. She slumped at the nearest chair. Everything was just too much. First, she got a lost girl who was claiming to be a princess, then a man—one that claimed to be a _King_—suddenly popped up out of nowhere in her apartment. A fucking _king_, dressed in _weird_ clothes, with fucking _sword_ on the side of his hip. King Niklaus—or whoever he said his name was—kneeled down in front of her. He turned to his daughter, and softly told her to get Caroline a glass of water. Turning his attention back to Caroline, he moved to place his hand on top of hers, since it seemed like she had zoned out. Caroline blinked then, although she still refused to look at him.

"King? Princess? _Fairytale land_?" she let out a chuckle, gently shaking her head at how ridiculous it all still sounded. "What? Do I call you _Your Majesty_ now?" she finally turned to look at him. She sighed when she realized how rude she must have sounded.

"I'm sorry," she said, looking down at her hands. "It's just…I don't know. This is all just so…_crazy_!"

The man in front of her smiled warmly in reply. "I understand," he assured her. "I have been told that the people from this dimension—from this universe—are not…believers."

"Believers?"

"You are not aware, and do not believe that there are other universes. Yours is not the only one," he elaborated.

Caroline frowned. "So you're saying there are alternate universes?"

"Yes."

Just then Edlyn came back from the kitchen, a glass of fresh water in her hands. She handed it to Caroline, who finished the water in one big gulp. Edlyn scooted over to her father, climbing onto his lap. She clung to him as if she was going to lose him at any second. Caroline could feel her heart twinge at the side. The girl must have been traumatized after being sent away from her family like that. It was then Caroline noticed the small pieces of glass on King Niklaus' clothes, and the neurotic in her started to kick in.

"Oh God! Are you OK? Did you hurt your head? Did the glasses cut your skin? Let me check on you!" she rushed over to his side, examining almost each part of his body. She gasped when she saw a speck of dried blood on the back of his hair. "Blood!" she shrieked. "Let's take you to the hospital! You might need to get some stitches or something!" she stood up and begun trying to pull him up.

He shook his head. "I'm alright," he told her. "It's just a small cut. It will heal by itself."

"But—"

"I will be fine," he assured

Caroline sighed in defeat. "Alright. But I'll go get the first aid kit. That _small _cut still needs some tending."

.

/

.

After cleaning up the King's cut (it felt so weird to call him that. Like, since when did Caroline had royalties staying with her?), Caroline realized that there were too much shreds of glasses stuck on the fabric on his clothes, that it must be uncomfortable to keep wearing them. So she went to her room and ventured into her closet to get some of her late husband's clothes that King Niklaus could wear. She paused to stare at the pile of clothes for a moment, because it had been a while since she last went to this side of the closet. She shook her head, taking a deep breath when she started to feel the sorrow creeping up. They would hate to see her weeping like this. She was supposed to be stronger, for them.

The young King was fiddling with the remote control when she walked back into the living room. He jumped when the TV turned on as he accidentally pressed the 'on' button.

"What is this…is it a _witchcraft_?" he asked Caroline when she took a seat beside him, but never taking his eyes off the screen.

Caroline laughed lightly. "It's not magic. It's called technology," she said, "And this, in front of you, is called a television."

His eyes were filled with the same wonder Edlyn had when she was staring at the turntable. _Like father like daughter_, Caroline couldn't help but think. He pressed another button on the remote control, and the channel flicked to a music channel. Some song by Foo Fighters was on, and his mouth was agape because he had never heard something quite like this.

"It's magnificent."

Caroline had to push away the urge to roll her eyes at the sight in front of her. There was this man; with his ridiculous clothes, ridiculous accent, and the ridiculously dangerous-looking sword he had with him—oh! Also, don't forget his ridiculously cute dimples—in her living room, his eyes were glued to the television screen as if MTV was the most sophisticated that has ever been invented. This was all so…_odd_! She was still having a hard time believing everything that had transpired in the last couple of minutes to be real. She had tried to pinch herself to test the theory that she was actually dreaming, but it hurt so this couldn't be a dream. Everything felt so bizarre, that she felt whiplashed.

"Where's Edlyn?" she asked after about one minute of silence, realizing that someone was missing.

"She said she needs to go to the bathroom," King Niklaus replied. "She also told me the people here have hot water in their bathroom?"

"Yes, we do." Caroline was surprised at how much information the father and daughter had managed to exchange during their little reunion.

"That's wonderful. We do not even have hot water in the palace."

"Palace…yes..." It took quite some time for Caroline to get used to the idea that her two guests were a King and a Princess and that they lived in a palace. "Sure. You're a King," she chuckled awkwardly. "You live in a castle."

There was another moment of silence between them, as _King_ Niklaus had turned his attention back to the screen soon after he made sure he gave Caroline a polite smile. Caroline had almost forgotten her initial aim on approaching him, until her eyes landed on the small pile of clothes on her lap.

"King Niklaus," she cleared the throat, and it managed to tear his eyes off the television

"Please, call me Nik. I insist," he smiled

"Okay, _Nik_. I uh brought you some clothes," said Caroline, handing the clothes to him

"Thank you." He eyed the various garments in his hands, his brows knotting in curiosity. "Men here wear these?" he asked holding out the dark jeans.

"Yes."

He ran his hand along the fabric, nodding his head solemnly. Was it disappointment she saw flashing on his face? But why was it disappointed?

"What's the matter?" she couldn't help but ask. Maybe it wasn't smooth enough for him? He was a royalty after all. Maybe all he wore was silk and only the finest. What she was giving him might not be considered 'proper' for him.

"Nothing," he replied, shaking his head. "It feels…comfortable."

"Oh."

"Are these your husband's?"

There was a slight pause before Caroline finally opened her mouth, and it made him regret ever voicing the question. She probably thought he was too nosy.

"They are. Well, _were_," she corrected. "My husband passed away a few years ago."

He was relieved to hear that, because Miss Caroline was such a lovely lady and he just wouldn't want her to turn out being spoken for, but at the same time he also felt terrible because he was being happy over someone else's misery.

"I am very sorry to hear that," he apologized, not sure what he should say.

She managed to crack a smile, the kind that was so bright even in the midst of a stormy cloud and he couldn't see the somber in her eyes again—the one that appeared for a moment when he mentioned her husband.

"It's alright," she assured him. Rising from the couch, Caroline bid him good night. "Well, it is late. We've had such a long day. I'm going to bed. The guest room is right through that hall, second door to the right."

"Good night, Caroline."

"Good night Ki—_Nick_."

.

/

.

There was a loud bang coming from outside the door, and it smelled like something was burned. Caroline twisted in her sheets, not really wanting to get up just yet. But it started to sound more like a war was going on outside of her room and she begrudgingly left her bed. The moment she opened the door, the burned scent got even stronger. And when she finally got to the kitchen, she was met with what could possibly be one of the most apocalyptic states her kitchen had ever been in. There was flour on the floor—was that batter?—there were even bits and bits of chocolate chips scattered around the room, and there, by the stove, stood Nik and Edlyn. They both had some yellowish substance on their faces, and a plate of what looked like black pancakes laid on the kitchen island. When they sensed her presence, the two looked up and smiled at her sheepishly.

"Forgive us, Miss Caroline. I was trying to make father that savory breakfast you made me yesterday…pancakes! Yes, pancakes. But to no avail."

_Oh, she was going to have some adventurous days ahead, Caroline bet._


End file.
